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'She looks so normal to people in the street,' Mrs McLellan told Daily Mail Australia.

'It's hard for people to understand how sick Rhianna is when they don't see her.

Rhianna's lung function dropped to just 23 per cent last year prompting doctors to send her for a transplant review in Brisbane

'They don't spend all day with her, holding her hair back, keeping her upright and trying to console her when she is so upset and exhausted.

'I am often having to bathe Rhianna because she is so exhausted from just breathing all day that she can't do it herself.

'I help her with her treatments, physiotherapy and medications as well as cooking and preparing her food because anything that slightly increases her heart rate causes her to cough, which often results in vomiting. '

A fundraising page has been set up by Rhianna's mum to raise money to pay for her medical bills and basic living costs which she cannot afford while she is not working.

A fundraising page has been set up by Rhianna's mum, Marietta McLellan (pictured right) to help fund daily living expenses

The appeal has raised more than $6,000 of the $15,000 target so far and her mother is pleading for people to donate to ride out the period until Rhianna can get a transplant.

Mrs McLellan said: 'Our biggest plight is that other people with CF and other terminal illness don't have to fight so hard to get some help.

'Rhianna originally applied for the Disability Pension in July 2017 when her doctors told her to reduce her work load, they denied her because apparently she 'lived independently' and 'didn't need help with anything'.'

But this ruling baffled the family because when Rhianna moved house in December 2016 - after a two-month spell in hospital including seven days on oxygen - they feared she would never leave her bed.

The appeal has raised more than $6,000 of the $15,000 target so far and her mother is pleading for people to donate

The full cost of Rhianna's medication is $6,000 per month but she still has access to a Health Care Card which subsidises the cost to around $150.

But Mrs McLellan said they still remained extremely concerned about the possibility of her daughter losing her card.

'There are people with CF fighting for a Health Care Card because the government are taking it off them because they 'earn too much',' she said.

'They don't seem to realise that even if you worked full time you wouldn't be able to afford your medications, let alone any other living expenses, without a health care card.'

Centrelink is run by the Department of Human Services and spokesman Hank Jongen said: 'The department is investigating this case as a priority to ensure we are doing everything we can to help them through this situation.

The full cost of Rhianna's (pictured right with her mother Marietta) medication is $6,000 per month

The ruling by Centrelink left Rhianna's family baffled but the government department has promised to review the situation

'In situations like these a person must meet specific criteria in order to qualify for Disability Support Pension and a person whose ability to work is affected by a disability or medical condition may be eligible for other payments, such as Sickness Allowance or Newstart Allowance.'

The family is set to relocate to Brisbane once Rhianna's transplant is completed to allow for the post-surgery treatment and recovery to be carried out.

Cystic Fibrosis primarily affects the lungs and digestive system and there is no cure for the genetic condition.

It causes an excess amount of thick and sticky mucas affecting the body's lungs, airways and digestive system, preventing basic functions and trapping bacteria in the lungs leading to regular infections and irreversible damage.

According to Cystic Fibrosis Australia, lung failure is the major cause of death for CF sufferers.